Yesterday the UFC announced a bout between Piotr Hallmann (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Al Iaquinta (6-2-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for next month’s UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, England. Iaquinta was initially booked to replace Paul Taylor (11-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and take on dangerous striker Anthony Njokuani (16-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC) but he fell to injury and was forced to withdraw.
Originally the UFC booked a fight between Paul Taylor and Njokuani way back at UFC 138, but the fight was called off after Taylor was involved in a car crash during fight week. Following a long sabbatical from the sport, Taylor saw UFC Fight Night 30 as the perfect opportunity to return, but after another serious injury occurred in training, he decided to cut his losses and retire.
Piotr Hallmann debuted against Francisco Trinaldo (13-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 28 in Brazil last month and dominated before locking in a beautiful kimura in the second round. Prior to debuting with the UFC, Hallmann had a great first quarter, first besting Ivica Trusek (21-19 MMA) at Celtic Gladiator in Dublin Ireland, then defeating top Finnish prospect Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (20-7 MMA) in Poland.
Al Iaquinta is best known for his appearance on the Ultimate Fighter 15, where he defeated 4 housemates before facing Michael Chiesa (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the final. Going into that bout Iaquinta was the favorite, but was shocked by Chiesa’s submission savvy. Following his loss to Chiesa, Iaquinta took a year’s leave of absence and returned to Serra/Longo Fight Team, where he honed his skills before returning against Ryan Couture (6-3 MMA 0-2 UFC) at UFC 164. It was a bout where he displayed a much improved version of himself and where he dominated throughout, coming close to finishing on numerous occasions.
My initial thoughts on this are that the matchmaking leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering there is plenty of talent in the UK that could have stepped in. Guys like Andre Winner and Paul Redmond would have been more than willing to step up on short notice, and would be good matchups for Iaquinta. The UFC needs to return to its roots and use the undercard of UK shows as a chance to give regional fighters a chance in the big show (or a second chance in the case of Winner.)
As for the fight, I see it being played out on the feet, with Iaquinta’s defensive wrestling being too much for Hallmann. On the feet Iaquinta should be at a distinct advantage, as his punching power and technique is far superior to the sloppy strikes that Hallmann is synonymous with, If it stays standing, expect Iaquinta to score the knockout.
Grappling-wise, Iaquinta is at a disadvantage if it hits the canvas, as Hallmann has shown on numerous occasions that he is dangerous from a submission standpoint, both on top and from his guard.
My verdict is that this bout will provide Iaquinta with the highlight reel knockout that is needed to wipe away the memory of his disappointing defeat to Michael Chiesa at The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale.
• Piotr Hallmann vs. Al Iaquinta
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UFC Fight Night 30: Machida vs. Munoz is due to take place on October 26, 2013 at Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England.
Click the stars to rate how good you think UFC Fight Night 30 will be.
